Cancer Occurs More Often in Young People Than Older Adults; Researches Suspect Diet, Lifestyle Changes Among the Reasons

Most people are expecting cancer rates to go down. Tough luck though, it seems like that's not the case. Instead, early onset is a rising threat to the global population, a recently published report specified.

Over the last several decades, the occurrence of early-onset cancers, frequently defined as cancers diagnosed in adults below 50 years old, has risen in several countries, as specified in a report from Futurism's Neoscope specified.

While authors of this new report admitted that increased access to screenings has added to the uptick, they explained that early exposures to hazardous chemicals, some even in-utero, are possibly contributing to increasing rising rates.

The culprit, the study investigators suspected, is that human environments have changed significantly in the last 100 years, and that combined with changes in lifestyle, diet, and microbiome, the reason for such a rise may just be civilization, itself.

Rise in Ealy-Onset Cancer Occurrence

The trend means too, that the young populations today, may have higher rates linked to long-term disease since cancer can cause infertility, cardiovascular disease, and secondary cancers, as indicated in the study published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

Undoubtedly, it is vital to note that seniors or older adults, and people whose age is above 50 years old are still being diagnosed with more cancer than young individuals.

More so, young people still are not getting cancer, quite often in absolute terms. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are below 25 cases in every 100,000 people in age groups below 20 years of age, roughly 350 cases in every 100,000 individuals among those 45 to 49 years old, and more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people in individuals aged 60 years old above.

Nonetheless, this research indicates that early-onset cancer may be the "next global pandemic, and that future generations may be more likely to develop the illness.

Such a thought is scary, although additional studies may offer solutions, the researchers reported. They also said that given the rising occurrence of several types of early-onset cancer, there is a need to increase awareness of this trend and possibly reevaluate the present screening guidelines. Specifically, they said, further study is needed in this field.

Most Common Cancers in Young Individuals

According to a Roswell Park report, among individuals in their 20s, the most common cancers include blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia, as well as testicular cancer and thyroid cancer.

For patients in their 30s, melanoma and breast cancer are more common. Diagnoses of rectal and colon cancer are rising among young adults, as well.

Essentially, tumors in the central nervous system and the brain can take place at any age although approximately 20 percent of cases are diagnosed in people below 35 years of age.

More than 120 different brain tumor types have been identified, yet most neurosurgeons are treating a wide range of neurological disorders and detect very few brain tumors.

Another type of common cancer occurring in young people is leukemia. Leukemia are blood cancers occurring when the bone marrow produces abnormal blood cells, crowding out the healthy cells that make it difficult for them to deliver oxygen to tissues, combat infections and regulate bleeding.

Symptoms of this cancer type can be vague. These include infections, nosebleeds, fevers, weakness, tiredness, headaches, and excessive bleeding and bruising.

As a result, by the time a lot of patients are diagnosed, beginning treatment within 24 hours is most of the time crucial.

Related information about cancer in young adults is shown on Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Cancer in Science Times.